Their Thoughts
by Chris91113
Summary: This pertains mostly to a newcomer to Team Kakashi... and a friend of Kakashi's. On hiatus.
1. Prologue

Their Thoughts

Prologue

_Age 4_-

"Ah, you missed your first day here? Well don't worry; it was just a week ago. Let me take you to your class."

The teacher led the girl to the classroom. She had missed the first day because of a scary visit to the hospital. The doctor had produced some scans of her heart and had concluded that it was weaker than a normal heart. Therefore, she shouldn't do any heavy physical activities.

Yet, here she was, already disobeying the doctor's orders by attending the Leaf Ninja Academy. The people here thought she had missed the first day because of a family matter. Not so; she had been training herself to make sure that no one found out her secret.

"Okay class, please settle down", the teacher spoke. The class volume went down as everyone noticed the new girl.

"You may introduce yourself now", the teacher smiled and gestured outwardly.

"Um, hi everyone, I'm Meika Najika." 1

"Well Meika, you may call me Rukasa-sensei. Why don't you take the seat next to that young man over there?" 2

Meika placed a tighter grip on her school bag and took the seat indicated. The boy next to her had his white hair parted to one side. The unusual thing about him was the mask that covered the lower part of his face. Only his cool black eyes were visible.

"Okay class, go to page thirty. Now, I want you all to take a look at…"

During the lesson, Meika noticed that most of the girls were staring at her in envy or glaring daggers at her back.

_This guy I'm next to must be the class prince, so those girls must be the fan club. Do they have to give me those looks! Oh man, why am I in trouble now on my first day here…?_

Later on, during break time in the yard, Meika was eating lunch with a girl named Rin and a boy named Obito. They were having a good time knowing each other when the fan club (as Meika had dubbed the group of crazy girls) walked over to them.

"Hey new girl, seeing that you just came here, you should know about the rules in this class", one of the girls said.

"Wait, who are you people?" Meika asked.

"Meika, why did you ask that question? Now we're in so much hot water" Obito murmured.

"We are crazy for one boy only. We are ….THE KAKASHI FAN CLUB!" all of the girls yelled.

"But who's Kakashi?" Meika asked. She immediately regretted asking that question. The girls surrounded her and began exclaiming out sentences.

"Are you crazy?! If you don't know who Kakashi is, then you must be living under a rock!"

"Kakashi Hatake is the greatest, handsomest and smartest boy in the academy!"

"His eyes are so beautiful that you can fall into their spell!"

"The mask he wears must be concealing his beautiful face! Oh, if only he would show his face to us for one minute!"

By this time, Meika was on her back on the ground in awe of how far these girls would go for this Kakashi person. Rin and Obito were nowhere in sight to help.

"Will you all pipe down? Your horrible noises are interrupting my reading."

The fan girls went quiet and turned around. The white haired boy was glaring down at them from a tree. Meika noticed the history book in his hand.

"If you guys can't give me a break, I'll- Oh, I see…"

He finally seemed to notice Meika. He carefully jumped down and held out his hand.

"Do you need help?" he asked. Meika took his hand and got up. The fan girls were green with envy at this small sign of affection.

"I think I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kakashi Hatake. You're Meika-chan, right?"

"Yes, of course! Please to meet you, Kashi-kun!"

"You heard me wrong; it's Ka-ka-shi."

"Kashi-kun, am I not saying it right?"

"No! IT'S KA-KA-SHI!!"

"… Ka-shi-kun…?"

"What is so hard about saying Kakashi Hatake?!"

Everyone sweat dropped and watched them dispute over the right pronunciation until Kakashi threw his hands.

"I give up! You can call me Kashi-kun until you get it right!" he exclaimed. This was the first time the son of a genius actually gave up, which was a sight to see.

k3k3k3k3k3

_Age 5_-

"**Hey, I got you something, Kashi-kun!**" Meika yelled into his ear. Kakashi jumped and whirled around to face her.

"What are you doing here at my house?! Who told you where I live?" he demanded.

"Rin told me where to go. Anyway, I'm here to say congrats on your graduation from Leaf Ninja Academy. I'm amazed that you graduated with only a year of studying."

He chuckled and said, "Well, I studied my neck off to be able to do _this_." His hand went up and adjusted the shiny forehead protector with Konoha's sign on it.

"I got a small present for you."

She handed Kakashi a folded piece of paper. He opened up the paper and saw a drawing of himself with the protector on. It was drawn so that he had a hand in his pocket and the other hand was adjusting the protector up. He seemed to have a cocky grin on.

_Damn, this is pretty comical… _

At the bottom, it was written-

**Congratulations on graduating from the academy! May you become a great shinobi**

**Your friends,**

**Rin, Obito and Meika**

"Oh… thanks, Mei-chan."

k3k3k3k3k3

_Age 10_-

"Hey Rin, I must say, congratulations on passing the chunnin exams. Did Obito pass, too?"

"He better have; he ran to me for help every time! Meika, you were brilliant! What do you call that wind technique?"

"Hellish Inferno is the name", Meika smiled. She had tagged along with Rin to the hospital to check on Obito. He reportedly had a bruised up arm after getting it sliced by raining kunai. While Rin was healing him, Meika got revenge on the enemy. It was done beautifully while ending with 'Hellish Inferno'.

They were sitting in the waiting room when Rin gasped and poked Meika. Meika turned around and saw Kakashi coming into the waiting room. He was dragging his feet and he looked like he wanted to sleep but was resisting the urge to. His face was pale and down casted. He wasn't anything like the Kashi-kun she knew.

Rin cried, "Kakashi, are you okay?" She and Meika helped him to a seat. They tried not to show the fear inside of them.

"Rin-chan, Mei-chan, why are you here?" Kakashi asked wearily.

"Obito is getting checked out of the hospital today. But why are you here? You look really tired" Rin said, concerned.

Kakashi shook his head. "I'm okay, but my father…" his voice trailed off.

Meika had met Sakumo Hatake-san three times. The first time was when he was taking Kakashi home after he had graduated as a genin. The second time was three years ago, when Kakashi became a chunnin. Two months ago, he was proctoring the final test for the chunnin exam. Sakumo-san and Kakashi looked exactly the same, except that Kakashi was much younger than his father.

Sakumo-san, or White Fang, was a genius. He had the same amount of respect as the Legendary Sannin! However, there had been some disturbing news lately. Sakumo-san had to go on a mission for the Fire Country after the chunnin exams. From what Meika had heard, he had broken a huge rule. In order to save his companions, he had abandoned the mission, something that was always drilled into her head to _never_ do. Because of this act, he was being shunned by the public.

"He… I came back home and I didn't see him at first. I thought he was in his room, so I went upstairs to see. Something just didn't smell right. When I opened the door, he was… lying on the floor. There was a knife in his chest and his clothes were wet with blood. He had committed… suicide."

No one said a word. Anyone committing suicide was a scary thing. That person, who had their whole life ahead of them, threw it away to embark on that final journey. It was simply… abominable.

Kakashi dropped his head into his hands. "I took him to the hospital, but it's too late now… he's dead, he's gone forever."

k3k3k3k3k3

_Age 12_-

Meika ran up the road to the front gates. She was going to see off Team 7, who was going on a mission. Since Kakashi had recently become a jounin, this was a special occasion.

"Hey Kakashi, Rin, Obito; look over here!" she called out. Rin ran to greet her. Kakashi and Obito weren't paying attention. They were having a heated argument.

"Kakashi, stop bonking me on the head! I was ten minutes late because I had to help an old lady with her baggage cart!"

"Obito, rule number 25 clearly states that a shinobi can never be late. Why are you still a ninja if you keep being late?"

**"Hey, she needed help; besides, aren't ninjas supposed to help others?"**

**"Listen up Obito, if you keep being late, I'll have to-"**

_**Crack! Crack!**_

Meika had had enough. Their argument had started to get loud enough to the point when she was close to insanity. In order to shut them up, she whacked them on the head. They clammed up and rubbed their heads in confusion.

"If I remember correctly, ninjas are supposed to be **quiet!**" she reminded them. The subjects of her annoyance glared at each other.

"Anyhow, I have to give you guys something." Meika handed out three small rectangular packages.

"I was ordered to give you guys these late deliveries. However, I have also decided that each of you gets a memory. All of the memories we share are precious, so I thought that a simple sketch would do.

"Hooray, Mei-chan's sketches are the best!", Rin cheered and hugged her.

"Hey Meika, I heard that you're going into the wilderness far from Konoha to train. How long will it take?" Obito wondered.

"I think it's about a decade… or more."

"It has to be that extensive? Whoa, that's a lot of training!"

"I'm more worried about your birthdays. Kakashi's birthday is September 15, mine is a month later, Obito's birthday is in November and Rin's birthday is in December."

"Hey, Kakashi's already thirteen. Why is he the oldest kid here?! When did we even start discussing about our birthdays, anyway?"

Kakashi suddenly spoke, "Have you seen our Sensei?"

Meika smacked her head. "So that's what I'm forgetting! He said he will meet you guys at Training Ground Three in two hours."

"Two hours? Hey, why don't we go have a snack at the teahouse for fun?" Rin suggested.

"I'll race you all!" Obito yelled and they ran like maniacs. The race ended with Obito on top of a furious Kakashi. Rin and Meika were powerless to help because they couldn't stop laughing.

Who could ever tell that this was the last time all of them would be together?

o0o0o0o0o0

A few days later, Kakashi entered his apartment. The thirteen year old boy felt a hundred years older than usual. All of that screaming, the blood, the battlefield itself was starting to take its toll on the boy's mind.

When he had decided to become a ninja, it was only because his father, his all-time hero, was one. He had only known about the horrible consequences after he graduated. Even though he would have loved to be something else besides a ninja, fighting and being a ninja was all that he knew how to do. At the academy, you weren't taught about how cruelly ironic and terrible war really is. You never learn about the consistent screaming, the blinding pain when you don't block an attack or even… the agony of losing a loved one forever.

_Obito smiled at him. He didn't care that the whole right side of his face was crushed by a huge boulder. He didn't care about the blood running down his face or of the increasing numbness of death. He was happy that his friends were safe._

_Team 7 had been running for their lives from a rock slide. Kakashi had suddenly fainted while running because of an intense pain in his injured eye. Obito had taken the boulder for him.__ The bastard took his death for__ him…_

Kakashi looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. His right eye was its normal black, but his left eye was now an always active sharingan, Obito's dying gift to him. Kakashi silently swore to use the gift for good use.

As he unpacked his bag, he found Meika's present underneath all of the survival necessities. He opened up the package. His eye widened slightly.

Team 7 stared back at him. Sensei, Rin, Obito and he were in a group underneath a tree's shadow. It had been taken a week ago to "collect some memories", as Sensei had placed it. Kakashi traced a finger over the smooth picture frame before putting it down.

Meika's sketch was about a long ago memory.

_It was after dinner at Rin's house.__ They were__ all four years old, still kids who had big expectations for themselves. They were relaxing on the rooftop watching the black sky and talking about their training._

_Then the shooting stars came by and caught their attention. Laughing, they began making wishes on the stars. Kakashi vaguely remembered that he had wished for a way for them to stay together. (When Obito had asked him, he said that he had wished for some way to make Obito shut up forever.)_

Meika had already left for the time being. It was going to take a long time for her to get back. Now, his primary concern was to keep Rin safe, as he had promised Obito. Besides that, he had to go over all the obstacles that the future had for him.

How will his life, and the lives he influence, change?

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto_! 

1-Her last name, Najika, means 'rainbow'

2-Rukasa is an acronym. Can you guess which character this teacher's name comes from?


	2. Coming home into someone else's apart

Their Thoughts

Coming Home… into someone else's apartment

_Age 29, Present Day_-

"Yay, I see Konoha up ahead! Hurry up slowpokes, we're nearly there! Why are you so slow today?" Meika gushed. Her companions just shook their heads and trudged on. They were used to her weird mood swings by now.

She had left Konoha seventeen years ago for extensive training in the wilderness. It had been an experimental procedure issued by the Third Hokage for certain shinobi. She would've come back earlier if it hadn't been for Orochimaru's attack on Konoha. She had to stay in the Village of Waves to bid her time. Since Konoha had to heal and there needed to be a new Hokage, she had to work in the village for two years until they were ordered to come back.

"Man, you guys are as slow as slugs! That's it; I'm going through the gates first!"

With a sudden burst of speed, she flew into the gates and cheered. The ninjas guarding the gate just pretended that nothing had happened. They had seen even weirder people; an example would be Maito Gai.

A young woman came running up to the group. She was carrying a pig and had on an outfit of black.

"Are you the group that is supposed to come back from the experimental training?" she questioned.

"Yes, it has been a long time since I was here… Say, what is your name?" Meika asked.

"I'm Shizune and this pet pig here is Ton-ton. I am Hokage-sama's assistant. She has requested for you all to report to her office immediately."

The group followed her and was eventually on the top floor of the building where the Hokage's office resided. Meika realized that this was the first woman Hokage, not that she was racist. She was nice to the group, but some of the guys couldn't look at her in the face. Meika knew it was because of the ridiculously large breasts Tsunade-sama had, but she held back her laughter.

"Welcome back. I'm sorry, but I've only found about the experimental procedure recently. How did everything go?" Tsunade-sama asked.

"It went well, but the only bummer is that we haven't been here for a long time", one of the guys said. The rest of the group nodded solemnly.

"Well now, we'll have to see how you've done and put your talents to use. Your teams will be told to you all tomorrow. Rest up for today and come back tomorrow at two in the afternoon."

As everyone started to file out, Shizune told Meika to stay back for a little bit. Tsunade-sama sat down at her desk and told Shizune to close the door.

"You are Najika Meika, right?" she asked. Meika nodded and noticed the Hokage's frown.

"I'm afraid that you'll need to find some new lodgings. The apartment you were going to move into has someone else that owns it."

Meika tried not to yelp. Where was she going to find a new apartment at such short notice?

"Are you friends with Hatake Kakashi?"

"Ah yes, in a way we are, but he might have forgotten me…"

Tsunade-sama didn't speak and then she stood up and spoke to her assistant.

"Shizune, I want you to go look for Kakashi and bring him to my office. No, you don't have to hurry that much, but don't take too long. Tell him that we have an old friend for him to see."

o0o0o0o0o0

Kakashi walked out of the hospital feeling satisfied. Naruto's arm was healing well and he could take the cast off in two days. He was going to have a problem with eating, but hey, sacrifices are needed with injuries…

Shizune ran up to him, obviously breathless. "Kakashi, Lady Tsunade wants to see you in her office now."

_But I was going to read __Make-Out Violence__ in my apartment!__ You had to come at this time! Just say __**no!**_

"Lead the way, Shizune."

A minute later, he was opening the door to the office. "What is the problem, Tsunade-sama?"

She looked up. Kakashi noticed the… peculiar expression she wore today. Her lips were in a smile and a smirk at the same time, like any prankster had. He knew from experience with Naruto's endless pranks.

"There's someone special I want you to meet. You… may remember her."

"Who is this person?"

"What happened to your manners? Ask her yourself. Anyway, she's outside", Tsunade pointed out toward the window.

Doubtful, Kakashi went out the open window and looked around.

The black haired lady was seen almost immediately. She was sitting down looking toward the west sky. Kakashi noted the bag with her, showing that she had just come back from a mission. He wondered where, but…so familiar…

She turned around, looked up and smiled. "Hi, Kashi-kun", she said.

Startled, Kakashi blurted out, "Meika?"

"The one and only… how're you doing?" she stood up.

"…Fine!" he piped up, shock wearing off. He hadn't seen her for over a decade and was happy that at least one of his former classmates was still around. He kept his feelings in check and straightened himself up.

"Hokage-sama told me that an old friend had come to visit. You just got back here today?"

"Yes, but I have a small dilemma. I need to find temporary lodgings before I can get a real apartment for myself. Do you have-"

"Whydon'tyoustaywithme?" he blurted out. Holding back his gasp, he clamped his mouth shut.

_Idiot, what are you doing? Do you have the slightest notion of knowing that having her in your house is a danger to your mental health?!__ An accident can happen or she can become suspicious.__ You're even reading the Make-Out __series_

_Just hide the books underneath your bed! She is your friend, you know…_

_In what sense can she be a friend? Is she a real friend or as a crush? Remember, you had a very small crush on her…_

"Really, you'll actually do that for me? Thanks, but why are you holding your mouth?" her voice broke through his conflicting thoughts.

"…Please don't ask. I'm having an identity crisis at the moment."

o0o0o0o0o0

Meika was surprised at how isolated the building was. The apartment was surrounded by small trees and was a few blocks from the Hokage's headquarters. Yet, there weren't any other tall buildings around, just small stores, private homes, shrines, and other basic buildings.

Kakashi's apartment was on the fifth floor (the top floor) of the building. When you climb up the last step of the staircase, the door was the second door down the hallway on the left side.

"Well, here's where I reside in-between missions", Kakashi spoke, opening the door. Meika walked in briskly, her hand trembling slightly which betrayed her immediate disgust of the place.

_How many dirty dishes can there be in that sink? What's with the laundry on the couch? Come to think of it, is it even a couch?_

_I think I smell a dead body in this place! There's barely any light coming in from the windows… I don't want to know how bad the other rooms are…_

Kakashi coughed, then tried to explain, "You see, I really do clean up every now and then. But most of the time, I get a little… distracted?" He didn't want to admit that he had mellowed down to a dirty slob.

"Let's just clean up this place", Meika sighed, scooping up a pile of laundry and holding in her breath. Securely locking the door, Kakashi joined her.

yuyuyuyuyu

It took a long time to clean up the place. There were a lot of things that Kakashi had somehow forgotten or neglected to do. Meika was able to brave throwing out the leftovers in the refrigerator and fixing the kitchen sink. She couldn't clean out the bathroom though and pushed Kakashi to do it while she stuck her head out a window. Even though she was willing to, Kakashi_ happily_ cleaned out his bedroom. (He wanted to hide his books under the bed before she burned them into ashes.)

"Man, you really need to clean up more often. Well, I'm going to take a-"

CRUNCH-BANG!

The couch broke apart under her weight when she plopped down on it. Nails, stuffing, springs and cushions went across the floor.

"WHAT THE- Kakashi, how much laundry did you leave on this couch?!"

"…I'm guessing that it was a lot considering 30 piles of laundry…"

"THANKS TO YOUR LAZINESS, I'M SORE ALL OVER!"

"Well, it's either you sleep on the floor or my bed-"

"I'm taking the floor. It's safer than the bed. I don't want the same thing to happen to me."

"But you must be tired after traveling for so long. I don't mind taking the floor-"

"Kakashi… DON'T ARGUE WITH ME WHEN I MY ASS IS SORE!! TAKE THE DAMN BED NOW!!"

"Meika, don't yell... don't be angry… see, I'm already in the bedroom, so you can rest for tomorrow… well, good night."

"Good night, Kakashi", she moaned, lying down onto the smooth wooden floor for some relief.

o0o0o0o0o0

_Well now, that wasn't as hard as you thought it would be…_

"Shut up already, I was being hospitable. What's wrong with that?" Kakashi said into the darkness. He was already dressed, lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The bedroom windows had their curtains shut, but he could still see the silhouette of the work desk in-between both windows.

_Doesn't the word 'crush' come to mind when you see her?_

"Maybe everyone was right… I should stop reading my addictive books. Even Naruto says that it's boring 'cause it's porno- What am I saying?! The books are great for entertainment!"

_I wonder__ of how well she kisses?_

His eye twitched slightly and he began to strangle his pillow in the dark, anxious to get rid of some steam.

"Traitor", he whispered.

o0o0o0o0o0

Meika was sitting by one of the living room's windows, drawing in a book in the faint stream of moonlight. Her sleeping bag was on the floor and she was dressed in her nightclothes. Yet she didn't want to rest before finishing up some work she felt needed to be done tonight.

She was drawing a portrait of the Kakashi she met today. He was standing in his messy living room looking sheepish. She drew his white hair parted on one side, his mysterious mask, and the curious tilt of his headband. She managed well with the vest, his hands in his pockets, the shuriken holder on his leg and down to his footwear.

"Not the worst, but it's only a simple sketch", she murmured. Placing her book back into her bag, she closed her eyes and began to dream…

* * *

It took so long to update... I hope everyone likes it! Four stories at one time is hard to do!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto_!


	3. Team Decisions Made

Their Thoughts

Team Decisions Made

Kakashi was half-asleep when he went toward the bathroom door. He had turned the knob when he finally heard the sound of running water on the other side. Realizing that Meika was taking a shower, he stumbled into the kitchen instead of getting smacked around for the rest of the day.

_Morning, sleepyhead…_

"I wonder what to eat now?"

_You didn't get a chance to greet the other tenant living with you?_

"I should just wait 'til lunch… but breakfast in the most important meal of the day…"

_HELLO DUMBASS! Don't you have any common sense? You thought that everyone you knew from your childhood was dead. Your friend comes back from her trip and you can't even carry on a proper conversation with her?_

Kakashi was annoyed at being yelled at by himself in the morning. "It's only a small crush. I can't do anything with her in the bathroom anyway. Why should I-"

_Idiot, why are you making such excuses anyway? You never made such dumb excuses like this. Just tell her how you feel and get the girl!_

"WILL YOU SHUT-"

Kakashi could only stare at Meika standing at the doorway as she stared back at him. He prayed that she hadn't heard everything that he had said. (She had only heard his last statement, not that he knew.) He felt stupid knowing that she wasn't going to understand the dilemma here.

_"I'm arguing with my inner perverted mind about you?"_

"…Good morning, Mei-chan…"

"Kakashi…you can… have the bathroom… now."

o0o0o0o0o0

Meika was heading toward her doctor's office. Kakashi was at the hospital checking on a bored Naruto.

She had told him that she was going to look around Konoha, but that was only half the truth. She still had a weirdly acting heart. Thankfully, the medical ninja on her team hadn't breathed a word about her condition… well, Meika could trust her, but she was still feeling uncertain.

"Well Najika-san, I'm glad to say that your little trip saved you. Being stuck having to work out and do things to strain yourself must work", the doctor mused over the scans. Meika wanted to know the results already, for her sake!

"You're in stable condition. I have to admit, it's actually gotten better. Try not to go over your limits, though."

"Thank you, doctor."

"I'm curious… even thought you had problems with yourself, why did you continue on being a shinobi?"

Meika shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know the true reason myself…I guess that I've always liked adventure."

"You mean like the time when you jumped on top of the Sandaime, caused a panic and were temporarily called an assassin?"

"I was only SIX years old at the time."

o0o0o0o0o0

Kakashi leaned next to Hokage-sama's office door. He wanted to see _her_ expression when _she_ came running the hallway.

In mere minutes, Meika was flying down the hall. Kakashi held up his hand to signal 'stop'. She skidded a little and went down on her knees for a break.

"I'm sorry I'm late, but I didn't check the time early enough."

Kakashi said, "This reminds me of Obito so much…"

"Hey, Obito was always late for every little event! I'm not like that. Come to think of it, I think his trait is starting to rub off on you."

"How would you know?"

"People gossip all the time. Anyway, which team did I get assigned to?"

He just gave her a simple look. She kept looking at him as he deftly narrowed his eye. Then she realized…

"No way…"

He kept looking…

"You didn't do that…"

His mask moved slightly as if he was smiling.

"I'M ON **YOUR** TEAM?!"

o0o0o0o0o0

Meika fumed while waiting for her bowl of ramen.

That sneaky dog had gotten her onto his team. Apparently, while she had been using him as a punching bag, he explained that he had suggested the idea to Hokage-sama. Before he could take it back, it had been written on paper and made legal.

"Thanks for the ramen", she said to Ayame. Meika was at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. The people serving were Teuchi (the owner) and his daughter, Ayame.

She pondered while slurping up the noodles. Kakashi wasn't a bad person. They had been classmates and now still friends. He may have been a tad annoying in his childhood, but at least he wasn't out to kill her. Unlike many of her former classmates, who were missing-ninjas now…

_**Kakashi, I am so going to kill you!!! How d**__**are**__** he?! **__**What the hell is the matter with you?!**_

"Why, what a beautiful looking girl!"

Meika turned her head. The weirdest looking guy she had ever seen in her life was taking the seat next to her. He was wearing a green jump suit and had his headband around his waist. He had a bad haircut and his eyebrows were big, fuzzy caterpillars. She could've sworn that his teeth were shining.

"Who the hell are you?"

"What, you don't know me?! I am Maito Gai, at your service my dear lady."

"Um, I'm Najika Meika", she said. She left behind a tip and started walking away. Gai got up and grabbed her arm.

"Why don't I accompany you home?"

"What the hell! Listen up; I can get home by myself. Don't touch me again or even try to make any moves on me. I may brand you as a pervert."

She smiled and shook her arm away from him.

Gai suddenly kissed her on the forehead.

o0o0o0o0o0

Kakashi had been hiding across the street on the rooftop. He was still resting up from Meika's sudden outburst of anger. He had been watching the events going on, from the ramen bar out into the street.

Then Gai had kissed her.

Now, he was so damn irritated with Gai.

In one second, his feet were on the ground. His hand was on top of Gai's head. His face was serious. The atmosphere around him became pitch black.

"Who dares to touch my- Oh Kakashi, I didn't see you!" Gai turned around and faced him.

Kakashi gave the evilest, iciest glare he had ever made only once before in his life. (Obito was the cause of the first time…)

Gai cowered and screamed as his ass got kicked to the other side of Konoha.

Feeling his dark mood rising upward, Kakashi dusted himself off and faced Meika with his normal expression.

"Well, that pest is gone. Let's go back", he said.

Meika tilted her head and said, "I could've kicked him in the groin myself if you hadn't interfered."

Kakashi whistled. "If you see him tomorrow, try it out."

"So how do you know him?" Meika asked, walking toward the apartment. Kakashi trailed behind her.

"You don't want to know."

Meika just looked at him and sighed.

yuyuyuyuyu

"Please tell me about the team, Kakashi", Meika asked. They were sitting on the wooden floor of the living, already dressed for the night, but not ready for sleep. (The couch broke, remember?)

"Well, the first member is Uzumaki Naruto. He likes to eat ramen and make friends. He can do a lot and has a very strong will. He never buckles down under pressure and knows what he's doing. Sure, he may seem a little rash and maybe dumb, but his heart is in the right place. I know that you will look at him as an individual instead of as a container for the nine-tailed fox, right?"

"Sure, I can do that. Who is the next member?"

"Her name is Haruno Sakura. Because of her training with the Godaime, she is a medical ninja, she's strong at taijutsu, and she has a fiery temper. I don't think she drinks, though. She's adept in her field and… oh yes; she was a genjutsu user before.

"There are two other temporary members of Team Kakashi. Captain Yamato is a part of ANBU and a close partner of mine. We were partners when I was an ANBU captain. The next one is Sai. He is part of Root, so even though he's trustworthy enough, there's still a bit of uneasiness about him."

Meika leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. "Something's telling me that you're hiding something."

He hesitated, but answered, "When I first met my genin team, before Team Kakashi, the three were Team 7."

"What a coincidence. You, Rin and Obito were the old Team 7", Meika mused. Kakashi didn't move as she went to sit next to him.

"Okay, but what are you hiding? Who was the third member?"

"The third member… used to be Uchiha Sasuke. He was possibly the only person spared during the slaughter of the Uchiha clan. He wanted to be strong in order to kill his brother and bring back the clan. I tried to put him off, but he betrayed Konoha and joined Orochimaru. The last I've heard of him, he has formed his own team, Snake.

"Naruto didn't want him to go. At the Valley of the End, they fought a brutal fight. But Sasuke escaped and… he's thirsty for revenge."

They sat together, silent, Meika drinking in all of that information, Kakashi glad of her company. The moonlight made the shadows move and dance as both moved across the friends' bodies. In this secluded part of town, people talking and yelling were heard from afar.

Kakashi broke the natural stillness. He reached across the small space and smoothed back Meika's hair to see her calm face.

She turned to her left and looked back at him with curiosity. Kakashi shook his head and stood up. He walked into his bedroom and turned around in the open doorway he would close in five seconds.

"Good night, Mei-chan."

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naurto_! This is getting annoying! 

Everyone, be ready to meet the rest of Team Kakashi in the next chapter! Yes, this means Naruto and Sakura!


	4. Moving On

Their Thoughts

Moving On…

Meika stared at the ceiling.

It was six in the morning. The window showed the light moving smoothly with the shadows in their dance. The dancing went around her body, on the wooden floor, on the packed-up book bag and around the whole room.

It didn't exclude the living room ceiling. The dance was making patterns on it. The cracks were definite and the peeling white paint added to its aging.

She brought up her wrist and stared at the watch until it read ten after six. At that time, she got up, grabbed her bag and walked out, closing the door behind her. (Kakashi made her a spare key.)

Speaking of the devil himself, Kakashi was still asleep under the covers. She had gotten up early to meet up with the team and know them a little better.

The meeting place was at the Third Training Ground. It was a simple training ground that didn't have too much danger in it. It just had a lot of nature that shinobi could perform and perfect their techniques in.

She wondered how Naruto and Sakura were going to react to the news.

o0o0o0o0o0

"WHERE'S KAKASHI-SENSEI?! HE'S ALREADY TEN MINUTES LATE!"

"Quit whining, Naruto. You know by now how he's like."

Naruto groaned and walked up and down a tree in annoyance. Sakura just kept a steady lookout. Every hope they previously had for their sensei to appear early for once had been crushed two years ago. It was such an annoying habit, but there seemed to be no way for him to break out of it.

Naruto stopped pacing and jumped down. "Sakura, who's that woman coming toward us?"

The woman was wearing green and black from her shirt to her skirt. The forehead protector flashed proudly on her forehead. Sakura noticed the bracelet on her right wrist and the watch on her left.

"Are the both of you Naruto and Sakura of Team Kakashi?"

After they nodded, she said, "I am Najika Meika. I have been appointed by the Hokage to go with you all on your mission."

She paused, and then asked, "What is the mission, anyway?"

Naruto was stumped at that question, so Sakura explained that they were traveling to the Land of Mist to keep an eye on their client there. They would stay for a week, fight if necessary and then go back home.

"But what is the client afraid of?"

"Mei-sensei, he claims that he has seen… strange shinobi in the town, so he wants our help."

Naruto piped up, "Are you related to Kakashi-sensei?"

"Well, I'm a friend of his, that's all."

"Have you slept with him before? Are you secretly married to him? What's his weakness? How-"

"NARUTO, WHY ARE YOU ASKING HER SUCH PERSONAL AND STUPID QUESTIONS?! THEY'RE JUST FRIENDS!" Sakura yelled. Before he could protest, she punched his head through a tree trunk. While he started to cry, Sakura began to apologize to Mei-sensei, who was white in the face.

"Well, we'll have to wait for Kakashi. In the meantime, why don't I show you something?" Meika said. She took out her sketching book and sat down on a large rock. Sakura sat next to her and marveled at the sketches.

"Wow Mei-sensei, I really like these. Hey, can you try making a sketch of me? Well, I'm not trying to be mean or anything-"

"Do you want to pose sitting or standing?"

o0o0o0o0o0

Kakashi was walking very fast down the street. He had three possible excuses to tell his team of why he was late this time, including Mei-chan.

"Maybe I should say I stepped on a crack and… no, that's not going to work. My mother isn't around. She's buried with the rest of my family, so why should she break her back in her grave when I've caused her enough trouble already?

"What if I had to help an old lady with her packages? Old ladies do need help sometimes… but that excuse is getting too old.

"Or maybe, Gai challenged me to an arm wrestling match… nah; I can beat him in one minute. But what can I say about not getting there in twenty minutes?"

At this point, he had reached the place where everyone was waiting for him. He jumped in front of everyone and announced, "Sorry I'm late, everyone. I had to help an old lady with her packages."

_That's a stereotype of an excuse… you need to be more original…_ his mind sighed.

"Kakashi-sensei, you're late AGAIN!" Sakura and Naruto yelled. They were annoyed and were pointing fingers at him. As if it was even his fault in the first place…

"Mei-chan, can you back me up here, please?" he beseeched his friend.

She snorted, "The last time I checked, you were talking in your sleep under the covers. I think you were saying that Tsunade-sama needed to be nicer… and something about Make-Out Paradise…"

"Make-Out Paradise… that's the book that Jiraiya wrote- Oh hell, don't tell me you did anything unnatural!"

Meika smiled.

Kakashi felt a chill go down his back. _Oh please, oh please, did she do something?_

"…Anyway, Sakura, Naruto and Mei-chan, we all know our mission. Therefore, let's go!"

o0o0o0o0o0

In the Hokage's office, Shizune was looking through the huge mountain that was all of Konoha's records. There were records of deaths, births, tests, bills… basically almost everything.

She was currently digging through the records of wills and marriage certificates. As she read a certain will, some sentences caught her eye. She froze, and then started running out the door.

"Excuse me… out of my way please… I have something important for the Hokage!"

_Lady Tsunade definitely needs to see this!_

o0o0o0o0o0

Meika sighed and sat near the lake's edge. It had been two hours since the team last saw Konoha. According to Sakura, they would be in the Land of Mist by tomorrow evening. She also said that there was an inn by the side of the road they were on, so they would stay there for tonight.

Thankfully, they were resting now.

_Please heart, don't fail me now…_

Taking out her sketch pad, she mindfully started drawing the beautiful view of the lake. If she had color pencils or crayons, she could emphasize on the slanting lights the sun was reflecting on the water or of the lofty trees with ivy wound around their trunks. The flowers swayed with the grass as a light breeze swept over them.

"I knew you were going to be drawing this lake."

Kakashi plopped down next to her. She made some quick lines on paper and then turned around to face him.

"If you're worried about your precious books, they're safe for now. I never knew you were a perv."

"Now Mei-chan, I can truly explain every single thing that your heart desires, but I'm not a-"

"Quiet Kakashi, reading those books do make you a pervert, as every woman around will agree", Meika smiled, "I'm not planning to beat you up or anything like that."

"Oh… thanks."

"I'll think of something even worse than what I mentioned before."

"Oh hell, I knew… no, I'm not going to lie. I didn't know that was going to happen to me."

"As the books say, expect the unexpected."

Kakashi pointed to her right wrist. "I should mention about that bracelet on you."

"Kakashi, you sent this bracelet to me by messenger ninja. It was so sweet of you."

As any ordinary male who is in love, Kakashi tried not to look embarrassed and became "macho man" to cover up his true feelings.

(Like every female, Meika knew he was trying to cover up, but pretended not to notice.)

o0o0o0o0o0

"What are they saying? Sakura, I can't see or hear. What is going on?"

"Hush Naruto, they are too far away for me to hear."

They jumped down from the tree they had been perched in. Their sensei and his friend were half a mile away near the lake. Mei-sensei was laughing at something that Kakashi-sensei had said while he was rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sakura, are they in love?"

"Maybe, but it's too early to tell!"

Naruto suddenly grinned. "Why don't we find out?"

"And… how do… you propose … we do… that?"

He had an evil grin on his face. "We find out as much as we can about them; then get them on a date! That's how we're going to do it!"

* * *

Naruto has an evil scheme in his mind... not a good combination.

If anyone read my other story (Kakashi's Cat), at the last chapter, Kakashi sent out a package by messenger ninja. The bracelet he gave Meika was inside that package. (This won't be the last time I'll refer to that story...)

Sorry about the delay! I'm still studying at school!


	5. Disturbance at the Inn Part 1

Their Thoughts

Disturbance at the Inn-Part 1

Sakura huffed, "Isn't it a little too extreme to make them go on a date? I mean, why shouldn't we leave them alone?"

"Do you mean like forcing them to have sex?"

"…!"

"Sakura, you worry too much. Didn't you see how much better Kakashi-sensei looked around Mei-sensei? I know he's a strict, serious, no emotion type of person. Yet, I think this change can brighten him up more."

Naruto pleaded until Sakura cooled down. "Well, I guess… I can help you."

o0o0o0o0o0

"WELCOME TO RYU'S INN! HOW MAY I HELP YOU ALL?"

Meika tried not to laugh. The team had gotten to the roadside inn in the evening. The owner Ryu was a funny man who seemed to have biting ants in his pants. She wondered if he was drunk, for his eyes were as wide as a hooting owl.

Kakashi stated, "We all need two rooms for one night."

That was it, one simple little statement with no emotion. What he thought about the crazy man, he made no comment and his expression was obscured by his mask.

"Well, follow me. You know…"

Meika toned down the man's voice. Annoying pest, he was another blood sucking bug who wouldn't leave you until it was bloated.

Come to think of it, there better not be any bedbugs in this inn otherwise, Ryu would have permanent scars on his back… and face.

"…This inn also had a bath house, a small restaurant and a garden in the back. Oh, the cook makes the best ramen there ever. If you have any complaints, you see me immediately. Well, there are more shinobi coming in. I hope you lovers enjoy the night." (Naruto was happy about the ramen part…)

Kakashi and Naruto had to take a step back. What did he mean?

Meika and Sakura were not as perplexed as they were.

"LOVERS, YOU SOB! WHAT DO YOU THINK WE ARE, WEAK-MINDED WOMEN?!" Sakura screamed. Meika assisted her in kicking Ryu's ass away from them. (Tsunade had to be Sakura's teacher…)

The spiny man ran away to hide his tears of confusion.

After she cooled down, Meika said, "That guy just made a mistake, I guess. We're in a boy-girl, boy-girl group. Anyone could have thought we were lovers."

(The males of the group wished that it could be true.)

"Say…Kakashi-sensei, why don't we all take a look at the bath house? We need a break", Naruto said aloud intentionally. He caught Sakura's eye and she helped him drag their teachers out of the room, shining with mischief.

o0o0o0o0o0

"So Tsunade-sama, what do you think of this?" Shizune asked, handing her the will.

"Give me a minute-Shizune; I am in so much pain! I need an ice pack!" the Hokage, the most powerful shinobi in Konoha, groaned. It had taken Shizune quite a while to figure out that her teacher was asleep at a bar. Whatever she had done, Shizune was practical in not asking.

"My dear teacher, that's the price you must severely pay in order to get drunk", Shizune chided. She got an ice pack and started to boil tea on top of a portable kettle and heat maker.

With the ice pack on, Tsunade concluded, "This will has made some pretty interesting things clear. However, there is a code at the bottom."

"Should I get a decoder?"

"No, we'll have to get through these ourselves. Shizune, I want you go downstairs and- no, I'll take care of the tea. Go down and find the will from the Najika family. It should have some clues in it as well."

o0o0o0o0o0

Meika gingerly stuck her toe in the water. The steaming water looked hot and felt hot. The steam was obscuring her vision.

Without a second thought, she took off her robe and slid in.

Meh, it felt great. After a day of walking on that dusty road, it was nice to feel some of your troubles going away. She found a cake of soap and began scrubbing her body. Taking in a deep breath, she placed her head in under water.

Outside noises were muted instantly. The water's sound washed past her ears. That wet heat was all around her and made her feel better. Even though she was more of a wind-based ninja, her ninjutsu also dealt with water. While away from Konoha, she had gone to Kirigakure out of boredom. Her teacher there had given her many lessons to remember.

One time, she was thrown into a lake continuously for one session. After awhile, she got used to water and began to manipulate this part of nature very well. In fact, she was able to hold her breath in water for three minutes…

Well, that wasn't a big accomplishment. But at least she learned how to swim.

Bringing her head up, she motioned for Sakura to join her. The younger kunoichi went to sit nearby.

"So, um… Mei-sensei, do you mind if I ask how…?"

"Does this have to do with Kakashi?"

"I…I-in a way, I'm curious to ask of how-"

"I've known him ever since I was four. He's at least a month older than me, but he has never used his age to take advantage of me. He knows not to after _that_ event happened."

"What?"

"To make a long and dull story short, I saved him, then kicked him like a little puppy around town for days on end."

"But that's an oxymoron! Why would you save him just to beat him up?"

"Goodness, you don't know an inch about him! That guy was really a bit of a … know-it-all, you can say. He was always reading underneath or on a tree, like he didn't want to be in Konoha, but in his own little world. History, science, medical ninjutsu… he read a huge variety of genres. I called him 'the walking library'… Which was nicer than what Obito called him, but that name was simply atrocious…"

"Mei-sensei… I wanted to know what you like in the guy you want to marry… or in your future boyfriend."

"Brains are the first requirement. (Why do I want someone with no education or damn common sense?)

"For all I care, he can be an ugly dope. If he's sensible with manners, that'll be a dream. No drunkards, no playboys and no creepy guys. (It'll be nice if he can dance or play music.) Yes, artistic talent is good.

"If he dumps me, I'll really give him a black eye except if for a good reason. (But these days, all females see guys as embarrassed people alien to them just because they can never say their true feelings or confessions.) If he divorces me, I'll be a very pissed off woman. Marriage vows clearly states that we love each other with all our hearts, so why should anyone file for a divorce?

"There shouldn't be anything like divorce. People should marry for love, not for money, not because of the parents' choice and definitely not because that jackass bastard is forcing you! The worst case scenario is that I die a happy spinster… oh Sakura, never let guys push you around and show them who is the boss. Promise me you'll do this."

"Err… why not, I'll do it."

o0o0o0o0o0

Naruto was having no luck. He wasn't even trying to talk to Kakashi-sensei.

It was hard. He had tried at first, but trying to talk with his stone-faced sensei in a bath house while in a bath about his girl friend was… peculiarly hysterical. Not to mention that Kakashi had draped a towel over his face to cover up as the mask or that he was daydreaming.

Naruto kept to his side of the tub and Kakashi stayed on the other side. Naruto tried not to laugh as he imagined what his teacher was dreaming about.

Probably, he wanted to see Mei-sensei in her full glory and curves without clothes.

Obviously.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, for crying out loud.

I'm glad that I managed to get around to this. This chapter was tricky, but I think it's okay for now.


	6. Disturbance at the Inn Part 2

Their Thoughts

Disturbance at the Inn- Part 2

Meika sat on the stoop of the door leading into the garden. The crickets were noisy and faraway, the fireflies were twinkling in the garden and well… she was in a great mood.

"Enjoying yourself out here, Mei-chan?"

Pulling her bathrobe tighter to herself, she didn't move her head as Kakashi sat down with her. His bathrobe was covering his body in a loose fashion. After a second, she looked up into his towel-covered face.

"Tell me how you acquired the sharingan."

Not dumbfounded, Kakashi shrugged and looked up at the light black sky.

"Do you remember Obito ... He was the goofball of our class. To make things simple, we were on the same team as well. I… did something really nasty during that last mission. Obito was firmly against it and went off on his own.

"Eventually, I followed him, but it was useless. We managed to save our comrade Rin, but he got caught in a rock slide. To make up for the missing gift for being a jounin, he gave me his sharingan. Frankly, I think he actually wanted it to be a parting gift, but I'll never know now."

"Maybe he did, but at least he prevented you from becoming blind."

"Really? I wasn't thinking like that."

"Dumb ass."

o0o0o0o0o0

With everyone getting ready for bed, a meeting was held in the men's bedroom. Kakashi went over the travel route for tomorrow and assigned roles. Sakura was getting the supplies needed. Naruto was carrying most of the stuff. (He complained, but was silenced after Sakura instilled some guilt into him.) Meika would over see the proceedings. After that, one question:

"What are we going up against?"

Seemingly frowning, Kakashi answered, "From the descriptions we've received, we have to help against… something more animal than human. They're either black or see through."

"HUH?!"

"That's exactly why I would like to get there as early as possible. (Naruto and Sakura rolled their eyes. He was never going to be early.) Let's get some sleep."

Naruto suddenly looked apprehensive. "We'll need to make some adjustments, though Kakashi-sensei."

Meika asked, "What do you mean, Naruto?"

"The owner apologizes that there's only one bed in this bedroom, so Sakura and I will have the two beds in the other room. Both of you will have to share the bed."

"What the hell- NARUTO, I'M GOING TO-!"

Two puffs of smoke were left where the teens had been before.

o0o0o0o0o0

Kakashi wasn't certain if he was deliriously happy or extremely rancor.

Meika, on the other hand, wasn't the happiest person in the hotel.

"Wow, that was… well, I didn't even notice that a bed was missing."

"How could you miss seeing a godforsaken bed, Kakashi?! It's not that hard to see that!"

"But you said nothing. You know what, forget it. I'll sleep on the floor if that can help us."

"Kashi-kun, your students think we're a couple. That's why they think we'll be fine if we… rested on the same mattress."

Kakashi noticed the careful translation. "I swear, if it comes down to that, I won't have sex with you."

"Leave my virginity out of this!"

A cloudy silence filled the room. Then wordlessly, Meika headed toward the bathroom to change. Kakashi turned away from her and began getting ready for the night.

o0o0o0o0o0

"Do you want heads or tails?"

"I get tails."

Meika flipped a coin and looked. "Sorry, I get the right side."

She sat down and went under the covers. Kakashi did the same on the other side. Her face was burning and she felt exposed. Her old brown shirt and grey sweat pants had to be showing too much. Even when sleeping in his apartment, she hadn't felt like that.

But it was amazingly comforting.

"Hey, Mei-chan, you awake?" his voice came out, not sleepy at all.

"Uh yeah, something wrong?"

"There's something I want to bring up from childhood."

What was he…? Oh dear god, does he still remember…

"You kissed me?"

She froze, and then turned over to face the inside of the bed and face his back. "Are you crazy? I just did it because-"

"Because of what happened before? Did you feel for me?" Kakashi turned over to face her.

"Kashi-kun, we weren't even ten yet. It was after your father's memorial service. You were standing at the back of everyone looking like a forlorn puppy. Who wouldn't feel for you like that?"

"Still, it was unnecessary."

"You said something like that when I asked if you hurt. You got annoyed at first and were drowning in tears at the end. Being a pitiful human being, I gave you a small kiss on the cheek."

"Yet you removed my mask…?"

"You couldn't have felt it with the mask on. My eyes were closed, so I still don't know of how you look like. It shouldn't even bother you. Our parents were good friends from the academy too. Though I still wonder about those secret meetings they used to have…"

Kakashi turned back over, facing the wall. "Thanks for clearing that up with me. But we need to get some sleep now, okay?"

Brooding over the past, they fell asleep.

o0o0o0o0o0

"Sakura, what are we going to do if they find out that we hid the second bed in the closet?"

"Naruto, lets just hope they don't talk to the owner tomorrow. Oh yeah, you're taking all of the blame."

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto_!

I'm sorry it took me this long to write this short chapter, but I have to go to school!

It should get more interesting from here onto the next chapter.


	7. Mission Start

Their Thoughts

Mission Start

Kakashi tried not to wince as he rubbed his head. The sore spot was still stinging. Mei-chan had smacked him on the head this morning and now, even ten hours later, it had to be treated with an aspirin.

_**That was only for last night, got it?!**_

_Yes, I hear you, Mei-chan._

"Ugh, this headache is getting worse and worse. It's not helping-"

"WE ARE LOST!"

"Naruto, we are not-"

"SAKURA-CHAN, WE ARE LOST!!"

Meika was pissed off. The map Sakura had gotten from the inn manager (Owl-Eyed Weirdo) was only half correct. Apparently, someone didn't know their west from east.

She threw down the map and, summoning her chakra, she ripped it to shreds.

"It's no use. Kakashi, you have a really good nose. Find some people for us."

"Hurry Kakashi-sensei, I'm getting hungry!"

"You wimp, let me tell you a story about another hungry little boy…"

Ignoring his team (and headache), Kakashi gathered his chakra and concentrated on his sense of smell. He closed his eyes to the outer disturbances and focused on his inner self. He breathed in slowly and deeply. He needed to smell out a fire or simply any cooking that would indicate a dwelling. If not, than at least anything that seemed out of place in a mountainous area.

Hold on… someone's cooking…

Without opening his eyes, he muttered, "Interesting…" He heard Meika's footsteps stop next to him.

"What is it?" she murmured.

"Someone's cooking… I think it's a stew… maybe beef… about only a mile from us the most… it's pretty strong, there must be a lot of people there… from us, it's an eastward direction…"

"… and his stomach had imploded because he had eaten too much of the shellfish. It was horrible. I had to perform a surgery on him. He stayed in the hospital for a whole week and never ate shell fish again. The end" Sakura ended her story.

"Sakura, what weirdoes you and Granny Tsunade have to take care of!"

Meika called, "Naruto, I thought you were hungry. Come on you two, Kakashi found something."

o0o0o0o0o0

The four shinobi relaxed at their table. The food was good, the music was low and no one really cared that they were there. Everyone else was pretty much farmers or had other occupations with little salary.

Since he finished first, Kakashi went out to get directions to the town. Naruto kept stuffing his face while the ladies talked.

"I'm not prying, but what do you have with Kakashi-sensei?"

"We're just friends, Sakura-chan. How many times do I have to repeat myself?"

"Just call me Sakura for now."

"And call me Naruto!"

"Okay guys. Hey, I'm going to show you a little secret. It's an old drawing, but you can recognize him."

Meika took out an old drawing book and, after flipping around, showed them a page. The little boy was reading a book while sitting in the branches of a tree.

Staring…Staring…

"IT"S KAKASHi-SENSEI!"

"He's a cute, chubby kid… He's so cute, I wanna pet him…!"

"He's only five years old here- Oh Kakashi, you know where to go now?"

The students froze, then tried to look normal by staring at the floor.

Kakashi was twitching at Meika.

"Mei-chan, please don't do this to me. I need to keep some respect within the team."

"But, Kashi-kun! You were SOOOO cute as a little kid. I had to show off your cuteness to them."

"Mei-chan, I will speak to you later."

_I'm going to kill you for this offense, Najika Meika-chan! Just wait!_

o0o0o0o0o0

The Land of Mist really did live up to its name. It was during rare times of the day that you can really see clearly. Three-fourths of the time, there was a very natural mist that covered only that part of the land.

Kakashi thanked the spirits that he had found the old woman who had given him this map. Her profession as a psychic was pretty suspicious, but she was helpful.

It was strange that there weren't any people at the gate, though.

It was more weird that the gates were wide open.

"If I remember, the old woman said that this place is a little conservative, so we might have some hostility against us. Just be careful of what you do. We don't need any more trouble guys."

"Hai!" the other three said.

"Who are you people! Show yourselves!"

Kakashi took out a kunai and spun around.

He was slammed into a wall and felt a hand choking him.

"Kakashi!"

"Kakashi-sensei!"

* * *

Disclaimer: Kishimoto-san owns the manga! I own nothing!

This chapter seems to be a little shorter than the others...

Oh yes, and for your info, nothing is as it seems in this village...

See ya next time!


	8. Confusing Arrival

Their Thoughts

Confusing Arrival

Kakashi struggled with the hand that was choking him. He did a quick maneuver that placed him behind his attacker. His attacker spun around with a kunai, but missed Kakashi as he jumped back.

The attacker was a fifteen or sixteen year old boy. (Anyone younger than eighteen was a boy in Kakashi's eyes.) Where the head band should have been was instead a red ribbon tied around his forehead. He was wearing an ANBU outfit, complete with the tattoos, gloves and animal mask. His brown hair was as spiky as Naruto's, but slightly shorter.

"I'll say again, who are you people?"

"This town of the Mist has sent us here for a mission to protect. Here is the mission scroll." Kakashi handed it over, careful not to touch the boy's fingers. He quickly glanced at his team, who were still shocked at this sudden encounter.

It took a minute, but the boy sighed and looked up.

"It seems valid… but how did you get here… in _this _place of all places? All of you are still… not ready yet…"

Naruto yelled, "What do you mean we're not ready yet?! We're full-fledged shinobi!"

"That's not what I- DAMN! KAITO, YOU ARE DEAD MEAT!"

The boy had screamed because a bulky bag had fallen off the roof of the place behind him and was now crushing him to death.

A second boy appeared over the roof. He was about fifteen years old. He had on a short-sleeved black shirt, dark blue pants with the shuriken holster and the regular ninja shoes. With the headband and sunglasses on, he seemed to be pretty normal.

He threw the bag off ANBU boy. "Sorry Taki-sempai…"

He suddenly seemed to notice the team. "Oh, hey Team 7! Sorry for our rudeness. Well, glad to see you all again. Follow me. We need the introductions."

As the boy grabbed his bag, Sakura motioned to Kakashi. "Sensei, should we go? This is too unnatural."

"This is the place Sakura… and we promised to stay for a week, so we should get used to it."

Meika whispered, "This is the first time we're meeting sunglasses boy and ANBU boy, right?"

Naruto spoke, "So what?"

"Why did that kid say '…glad to see you all _again_?'"

o0o0o0o0o0

The six of them ended up in a restaurant with their own private room. It was lit brightly. There were cushions to sit on and a place to put their shoes away.

Secretly, Meika was glad. Eating outside would probably end in disaster. Outside the private room, it was dimly lit, certain noises indicated that there had to be a dark room somewhere, and the people were staring at them as if they were delicacies that had to be eaten.

Creepy…

As the waitress came in, Meika distinctly rolled her eyes at the outfit. She had to be a prostitute, someone desperate for a boy (girl) friend, or that the restaurant owners were being pervy to young girls. The team looked slightly disturbed at the outfit too, except Kakashi was sneaking _way_ too many looks at it.

Looking innocent, she stepped on top of his right foot and fluttered her eyes at him when he frowned. He gave a quick cough that sounded like a groan.

"So, what will you all have?"

"I'll try the catfish special." (Sakura)

"I'll have the beef ramen." (Kakashi)

"I'll have fish balls." (Meika)

"MISO RAMEN!" (Naruto...)

"We'll have the chef's specialty. Everyone needs the tea." (ANBU boy)

"Thank you. Your orders will be here in a minute."

When she left, ANBU boy said, "Um, can I say sorry about that thing before? I do have to watch out for strange ninjas since _someone_ said nothing about you guys."

He gave sunglasses boy a harsh glare.

Then he took off his mask and looked at everyone with his grey eyes.

"You may all call me Taki. As you can guess, that is not my real name, only an alias. In fact, most of the people in this town will give you an assumed name. No, I can't really say why. It's a tradition to do so. However, with an assumed name, it shows that you're pretty much dead to the rest of the world."

Meika noticed the feeling of dread in her chest. How can someone be dead to the world? In fact, what did the people of this town do that would make them hide, use a fake name, conceal their abilities for any use? What crimes did they commit?

She studied the two boys in front of her. She planned to check the bingo book when she was in her room. Surly some S-ranked criminals had to be hiding here.

Sunglasses boy stirred from his seat and spoke, "I'm Kaito. Do you have questions?"

Naruto leaned forward. "Why weren't there people outside?"

"About half the population is pretty sensitive about the sun. The other half doesn't really care or they have protection. But don't worry, everyone always goes out at night for the festivities."

Before Naruto could say another word, Kaito added, "We're not like those creatures of the night legends that kids are often told about. We're normal people to an extent.

"However, let's get serious. I'm the person who sent you all here for a small annoyance that we've been having.

"As the mission scroll stated, wild animal-things have been in this area for many long years. They are called the Shadows. I believe that the nine demons had the misfortune of creating them from the darkness of endless wars and live animals. They look like black shadows, as suggested. They attack with no claws, teeth or weapons but are able to suffocate people and scratch them. Thankfully, that's the most they can do with their attacks.

"They've been traveling in groups recently, so they may be planning an attack. We're not that worried, but we still need you guys to stay here for a week. When the week is over, you can go."

Kakashi asked, "Anything special about them?"

"Nothing that's fancy. They do have the annoying ability to use blood."

"What, a kekkei genkai?"

"No, it's their little surprise technique. If they manage to get some of your blood, they will be able to take on your form in every way. Yes, they will look like you, know everything about you, what you can do; your fears… and they can perform your techniques. Thankfully, no one can truly be the same as the other person, but just don't let them have your blood and everyone will be safe.

"However, on kekkei genkai, they can't perform those. So, for example, if they take the blood of a Uchiha, they can perform the special fire techniques. However, they can't take on the appearance of the sharingan or perform those techniques unique to the sharingan. They'll either plaster on the appearance of the normal person's eyes or cover up the mistake in some way.

"As another person, you can't hide secrets from them. For some reason, with the blood, they're as smart as any of us. No, even smarter."

Meika leaned back. It was hard to absorb everything that had been told.

_Creatures that manipulate blood?_

She looked into Kakashi's eyes. He agreed with her.

_This place defies all things logical._

o0o0o0o0o0

Mei-chan was on her hands and knees in shame or embarrassment. Her face couldn't be seen, but Kakashi had a feeling…

She sighed, "We have to spend a whole _week _in the same inn room?"

"Pretty much. But the room is bigger, there's a small balcony like all the other rooms, and the bathroom is much better."

"Kashi-koi, there's only one king-sized mattress."

"You have no right to add 'koi' to my name! Only my mother can do that. There's a lot of room on the mattress, so stop complaining."

"Whatever. It's your cutie nickname. I mean, you're so serious. Lighten up a little."

"I'm still the oldest one here."

"Sorry old fart, but I still think you need to lighten up. I'm taking the shower first."

yuyuyuyuyu

"Kakashi…"

"Yes, why aren't you sleeping?"

Meika moved until she was facing the darkened ceiling. "I kind of hoped you would have a girlfriend by the time I came back. However, I come back and what do I see? A pervert in a dank cave who reads perverted books to fuel his imagination."

"My, you chastised me so lightly. Are you becoming soft?"

She shook her head. "I don't get it. What happened?"

He moved around. "Rin-chan died. I lost my last teammate. I failed Obito. Minato-sensei died the year after her death. That's what happened."

She sucked in a deep breath and shook.

Losing your teammates and sensei gave a whirlwind of feelings to the lone survivor. Meika knew that whirlwind. She hadn't even been there when they died. She couldn't help but wish that the stupid nostalgia would leave her alone.

_Kakashi must have the same wish as well._

He reached over and pulled her into a hug, allowing her to rest her head into his chest. His mind quickly picked out another lighter topic.

"Say, Mei-chan, remember that dumb game of "Spin the Bottle" during my twelfth birthday?"

"Oh yeah! Rin had to kiss Kenji, the geek. He was so timid he dropped his glasses and fainted."

"Poor Obito had a black eye where Yuki's nose hit him. God, she had such a sharp-looking nose."

"Three words- Enru and Hauruhi. They were a really great couple."

"One question- Do you remember our time in the closet?"

Meika blushed furiously in the darkness.

"No one knew about that little kiss on the cheek, right?"

"Kakashi, you _licked_ my cheek before kissing! Was I a lollipop?"

He said nothing, but Meika felt his mouth nibbling her ear. She shook her head to get away, but he quickly moved her body to lie on top of his. Still blushing, she shivered as he gently pecked a kiss on her lips. The mask wasn't on.

"Well, a whole week in bed should be interesting, Mei-chan. I like it when you are blushing in the darkness."

o0o0o0o0o0

"Taki-sempai, I have to go to Konoha."

"What the hell? Why?"

"The death day is coming. It's tomorrow. I can't avoid it or I'll break tradition."

"Who's going to help me with the team, Kaito? I can't be left alone with them or I might turn into a monster."

"Sensei said he'll be keeping an eye on them until I get back."

"I thought he didn't want to be seen. I mean, one of his relatives is on that team."

"He'll be in disguise. I mean, why else do we have genjutsu?"

"Damn you, Kaito. As if you being the leader is bad enough…"

* * *

Disclaimer: Only Kishimoto can ever claim to be the creator.

This is a really long chapter, but I couldn't shorten it into two of them!

Oh yeah, I was listening to _Boulevard of Broken Dreams _sung by Utada Hikaru. It's not her song, but she does sing pretty well despite having to sing a boy's part.

If anyone bothers to read this, I'll be setting up a poll soon. (Yes, from _Naruto_.) If anyone's interested, help me choose who would win if...


	9. Wary Eyes

**Their Thoughts**

Wary Eyes

_I can not have this._

_Kakashi and I can only be friends. Nothing more._

_Well, maybe lying in the same bed doesn't count. Neither does the fleeting kisses we had before. If he's up to it, I wouldn't mind a date._

_But I really don't think I can give him what every other man wants: a physical connection to create descendents to pass on the bloodline._

_My mother would weep endlessly if she knew about me not giving her grandchildren. Father would lament about our blood "coming to an end without any boys."(Please, girls should have respect too, dad!) _

_If Kakashi knew, he would stay with me, but only for the sake of our families' friendship. _

_But where will he put all of that sexual frustration? _

_Cheating on me would usually give me anger, but… I'm just sad._

_I hope Kakashi finds a real girlfriend soon. Very soon._

_I want to remain friends with my pervy onii-chan._

o0o0o0o0o0

"Is that an animal in your hair?"

"Shut up. Something must have happened in the shower."

Meika tried not to rip her hair out. For unknown reasons, she had a bed head that tangled and swirled all over. Her poor comb was having problems with it.

"Hey, hey! What the hell are you doing?"

"I've learned that women are connected with their hair. If the hair is alive, the woman is too. If the hair is drying or tangled about, the woman turns into a demon above and beyond. If she becomes bald, well, the woman is pretty much dead."

"…What was the purpose of that speech?"

"If your hair doesn't get combed out, I'll be stuck with a demon for a whole week. Now stop moving around. I can rip your scalp off."

She muttered endlessly, but slouched and allowed Kakashi to work out the tangles.

"So… you've been sleeping with a lot of females lately?"

Kakashi loosened a knot. "What the hell gave you that thought?"

"You have all of those perverted books. You must've been curious to try out some of the moves in there. And besides, your knowledge of us- the opposite sex- is really scary."

"Surprisingly, you are correct."

_He __**is**__ a regular at the brothels! _

"How many are there so far?"

"Way too many to count, but they all had good bodies that could endure what I did. Believe me when I say that most of the things done was really hot, mind-blowing and sexy. You want to know what I've done?"

"I don't care about some fuc-"

_SNAP!_

"Er, your comb's prongs just broke off into your hair."

o0o0o0o0o0

"Stupid know-it-all bastard, breaking my comb… what else is next?"

Meika walked out of the library. Sakura, who was researching about herbs and such, had informed her that Kakashi and Naruto were out on patrol with the weirdo Taki. Kaito's location was unknown.

She had something else on her mind, though.

_This place can't be part of the Mist._

She looked around warily. Sure, no one was going to attack her, but this place reminded her more of… Konoha.

Walking past a noisy bar, she noticed a man in the crowd looking at one of the games of shogi. With the triangles painted on his cheeks and the huge dog by his side, he had to be an Inuzuka.

The Inuzuka (supposedly) turned around and yelled something to his friend behind him.

The creepy guy behind him murmuring to the flies on the wall?

Was he part of the Aburame clan?

Surely these two strangers wouldn't be betting on those games of shogi…

Shaking her head, she looked away only to meet-

_Sharingans!_

The black haired man smirked at her before jumping over the rooftops. Meika took the invitation and jumped after him.

_It can't be Itachi or Sasuke! Who's this third member of the Uchiha clan?_

_Whatever, I must put this man into custody for Konoha's sake!_

o0o0o0o0o0

"Hey, I think I can win this game! Prepare to lose, Aburame!"

Aburame Mushi ignored his annoying partner. Inuzuka Seihantai (Sei) was always going to be a terrible gambler no matter what. Seihantai's dog, Kuro, closed his eyes against the noisy gamblers cheering for the winner.

Mushi noticed the scent of blood moving past the bar. He gulped, but his stomach remained pliant.

_Ah, it's a woman from the team… Najika Meika, I assume? _

Kaito had summoned a team from Konoha to help against the Shadows. From the mission report, it seemed Team 7 had answered and was now here.

_What was the captain thinking? The five of us is barely enough to keep those four people safe from the rest of the town. In fact, isn't he thinking that we won't be able to control ourselves around them? I know we've been training for more than a decade, but still…_

He was comforted that Kaito's sensei had agreed to help. In fact, as the blood's scent kept going further away, the sensei's chakra could be felt following Meika as her unknown bodyguard.

_Hold on… _

Mushi watched as the Uchiha led Meika away towards the training ground. The sensei, partially camoflauged with the surroundings, ran after her.

"What the hell is Maru doing?"

"Sei, what happened to your game? You lost again?"

"Fuck the game for a minute. What's Maru doing with that woman? I thought he was watching the little pink haired girl. Why's he shirking his duty?"

"He probably has a clone. He's not dumb; he's the oldest person on the team. He wants to say something."

"Right… um, Mushi, you won the bet."

"As always- give me a moment."

He whispered to the flies on the wall. They nodded and flew towards the library.

"Sorry, I just sent those flies in case Maru needed more eyes for the pink haired. I think her name's Sakura."

o0o0o0o0o0

"Stop Uchiha!"

Meika placed herself in a defensive position. The two of them were in a training ground. It was a small clearing that probably trained numerous genin.

The man faced her, slouching and not looking like a threat. He wore the standard chunin- jounin outfit: a Konoha headband, a green vest, a shuriken holder, and pouches attached to the pants on the behind. His sharingans was the only thing that showed as a weapon.

His clear voice asked, "Why am I being arrested? I'm from Konoha too."

"It doesn't matter, Uchiha! Why are you here? There are only two living people of the Uchiha, yet it seems that you are the third."

He sighed. "You're partially correct. Yes, there are three people alive from the Uchiha clan, but I'm not one of them."

"That's a lie! You're as alive and breathing as me!"

"I never said I was alive, Meika-san."

Meika had to step back. The man smirked again.

"Yes, I know your name and the names of everyone on Team 7. I'm supposed to. Five people have to keep an eye on the four of you. In fact, I noticed you walking around town. Have you found anything?"

"There are… too many Konoha headbands…"

"Precisely, my dear jounin. Just keep thinking and you'll understand what's going on."

"But the dead and living can't possibly meet! It's just impossible…"

"Nothing's impossible. I expect more when we meet again. Now excuse me-"

The man took out a kunai.

"Please, don't hesitate to call me Uchiha Maru."

He stabbed himself. The shadow clone disappeared in smoke.

_Wait a second, could Taki and Kaito be in league with this Maru? Oh boy…_

o0o0o0o0o0

Meanwhile, Taki was leading Kakashi and Naruto back into town.

"Well, that was a waste. We found nothing!"

"Not so Naruto-kun; we at least know that we didn't receive any surprise attacks. Why don't we rest in a bar?"

"Cool with me. Kakashi- sensei?"

"Nothing else to do; I'll come."

The three males walked into the same gambling bar with the Inuzuka and Aburame. Taki noticed them immediately.

"Hey Mushi, Sei! I have some friends here!"

After the introductions, Sei and Kakashi got into an argument about training ninja dogs. Naruto watched the gamblers curse and swear, not surprised. (Jiraiya the pervert-sennin was his mentor, so what's there to gasp about?)

Meanwhile, Taki led Mushi outside.

"Was Maru really shirking his duty?"

"No, he just sent out a clone. I sent flies to check on him. Have you heard from the other five people of our group? What about the captain?"

"Today's his day off. It's tradition when it comes around; it can't be broken unless there's an emergency. As for the other five, when their mission is finished, Team 7 will be in Konoha then."

"How's the Shadow population?"

"No change. I have to say that I thought one of the more powerful ones would've snuck in by now. I wonder why not?"

"Probably waiting for a chance. At least no one has tried to bite Team 7."

"That doesn't mean we should relax yet. The Uchiha and Hyuuga clans are still against _him_ being here, so maybe-"

A scream of triumph stopped the conversation. Naruto was standing on a table holding fists full of yen in the air.

Sei was angry; all of the money was gone! An amateur gambler had beaten him! Wait till he tastes a kick up his ass!

Kakashi, not caring, was reading his perverted book again.

_Their panting grew louder as they reached the climax, screaming as…_

Mushi turned away. Taki coughed.

"As I was saying, we should keep an eye on Kakashi-san or else!"

* * *

Disclaimer: Don't own _Naruto_!

I finally find my muse again, so sorry for the wait. It's going to take a while for another chapter, so forgive me! (That's because I'm also writing on Deviant Art. The stories and pen name are different, though.)

Remember- contact me through reviews or private messages.

If anyone's bored, I set up a small poll on my main page that will help out this story soon... in many chapters to come. But don't laugh; it'll still be helpful to click on on of those choices!


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